In some applications, an inkjet printhead is serviced by moving the printhead into an area adjacent to a service station where ink is discharged in a process commonly called xe2x80x9cspitting.xe2x80x9d Such discharge removes ink that has degraded in quality, such as by drying and thickening. As a result of such maintenance, print quality is increased. In some applications, overall printhead life may be extended where the printhead would have failed due to drying and hardening of ink.
Printhead servicing may create problems due to air-borne ink droplets. In particular, it is a frequent consequence of printhead servicing operations which include spitting to produce an xe2x80x9caerosol cloudxe2x80x9d. The aerosol cloud is a region wherein small particles of ink are suspended in air during and after printhead servicing. As the particles forming the aerosol cloud settle, a build-up of ink residue may be formed in areas within the enclosure of the printer. The ink residue may accumulate, among other locations, on mechanical components, which may come into contact with print media, thereby degrading print quality.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.
In one implementation, an aerosol collector for an inkjet printer includes a partial enclosure defining a central cavity. An air passage is defined within a wall forming the partial enclosure to allow air movement into an opening defined on an inside surface of the partial enclosure and out of an exhaust outlet. A fan is configured to remove a mixture of air and aerosol from the central cavity, through the air passage and through the exhaust outlet.